Jayce’s controversial arc in Arcane season 2 has fans shaken, but one theory suggests it could all tie to the most dangerous place in League of Legends lore

At the end of episode 5, Jayce escapes from whatever it was that captured him, Ekko, and Heimerdinger at the end of episode 3. Dishevelled and clearly altered by his experience during the time between episodes 3 and 4, Jayce wastes no time in killing Salo (ostensibly cured by Viktor), before heading to Viktor’s compound in episode 6.

Clearly, something is up with Piltover’s heroic man of progress. He seems scarred by whatever he’s seen, telling Salo he can’t let him leave the Hexgate chamber he finds him in before smashing him with his hammer. When he arrives at the compound, he’s clearly pained by multiple visions, and while he’s able to fight those off, he immediately heads towards Viktor, appearing to kill him with a massive blast from his augmented weapon.

It’s an astonishing change of approach from Jayce, who was distraught when he accidentally killed someone in season 1. But he appears entirely lucid in his encounter with Viktor, driven by some kind of purpose that many viewers have struggled to understand – why would Jayce murder his partner in cold blood, after being so hurt by Viktor’s departure at the start of the season?

One compelling theory is that Jayce has seen a future he cannot allow to come to pass. There are plenty of theories suggesting that there’s some weird time stuff going on in Arcane season 2 (which would help explain Ekko’s ongoing absence from the story), but they don’t explain why Jayce would be so afraid of Viktor. What could explain that, however, is one the scariest, most destructive places in the League of Legends universe: The Void.

The Void is partway between an alternate dimension and a place outside of time and space as the LoL universe (known as Runeterra) experiences them. It’s home to The Watchers, an existential threat that is continually striving to destroy the world, who are the creators of the Voidborn – creatures made to live within Runeterra, tasked with consuming and analyzing the world in order to help the Watchers gain the knowledge they need to destroy it. They’ve already been partially successful – a conflict between the ancient nations of Icathia and Shurima unleashed the Voidborn, wiping out Icathia in the process. The Voidborn were only turned back due to the godlike powers of Shuriman’s ‘Ascended’ heroes, including League of Legends champions Nasus, Renekton, Xerath, and Azir.

All that happened thousands of years before the events of Arcane, but initial ties to The Void surfaced in season one, with the purple color of Shimmer tying closely to the purple hues that define The Void’s color palette. The Hexcore that gives Viktor his powers evolved after absorbing Viktor’s shimmer-infused blood, and one theory notes that the Hexcore’s more ‘natural’ appearance after absorbing that blood offers significant parallels with official artistic depictions of The Void.

That theory was backed up by League of Legends lore expert Necrit, who noted that Jayce’s flashes showed the citizens of Viktor’s commune as “abominations” that share both that purple color scheme and that “voidy” appearance. Necrit suggests that “I wouldn’t be surprised if [Jayce] got a glimpse of the future” where the Arcane has led to a Void-driven apocalypse, and that’s why he chose to act as he did against his former friend. If The Void is one of the biggest threats in the League of Legends universe, and the Arcane is set to act as The Watchers’ gateway into Runeterra, perhaps Jayce is simply taking whatever steps he can to avoid that fate.

Ensure you never miss an episode with our Arcane season 2 release schedule. For more, check out our guide to the best Netflix shows for some viewing inspiration.